Decorative eggshell covering



April 24, 1934. R FEQ 1,956,150

DECORATIVE EGGSHELL COVERING Filed Sept. 2. 1950 INVENTOR RALPH FEO BY Patented Apr. 24, 1934 TES UNITED STA Paar o FFICE Application September 2 4 Claims.

My invention relates to providing a covering on surfaces which has the appearance of mosaic but in which the parts assembled to provide the covering are made of eggshell, the spaces between the parts being taken up by a suitable filling material.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a covering which may be made at a low expense but which is of a highly artistic and asthetic effect.

Another object of my invention is to provide a mosaic-like covering in which the parts making up certain sections match along their border lines, said border lines being substantially parallel.

A further object of my invention is to provide a mosaic-like covering in which the parts making up the covering are convex upon their surface.

Another object of my invention is permanently to embed small fragments of eggshell in a suitable filling and binding material so that their surfaces are very strong, rugged and substantially unbreakable.

Another object of my invention is to provide eggshell as a covering material, that material offering infinite varieties of shades and constellations which may be readily provided for by predeterminedly or arbitrarily breaking said 30 shells.

These and other objects of my invention will be clearly understood from the following description and the appended drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 shows a top view of a surface provided with my novel covering.

Fig. 2 shows a corresponding sectioned side view.

. Fig. 3 shows a corresponding sectioned side view during the process of making my covering.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views. I

In the drawing, I show the surface 4 of a body, from two sides of which arises the rims 5. Upon the surface 4 are arranged the pieces 6 and 7 of eggshell and between said pieces a suitable filler 8 is visible. The drawing shows the pieces of eggshell to be slightly convex, substantially corresponding to the natural curvatures of eggs.

I proceed in the manufacture of my novel covering as follows:A thin coating 9 of a binder, a paste or a lacquer for instance, is applied to the surface 4 and suitably shaped eggshell fragments 10 and 11 are placed onto the surface, which has been prepared in the said manner. By means of a suitable tool, for instance tweezers,

, 1930, Serial No. 479,407

the fragments are arranged according to a pattern, or according to taste.

After the fragments have been dropped, their convex side up, in a suitable position upon the binder 9 on the surface l, or after they have 6 been slid upon said surface into the desired position, the operator applies, with a tool, pressure to the surface of the fragments, so that they break into pieces 6 and '7 and the pieces come to rest, substantially in the position of the fragments, upon the binder on the surface 4. The pieces are adhesively engaged by the binder 9. The pieces of eggshell may be left in this position, or the operator may slide them into a preferred position by means of a tool.

After the surface has been substantially covered in this manner with pieces of eggshell, and after said eggshell has been engaged by the binder, to such an extent, that the pieces retain their positions upon the surface 4, the spaces between the eggshell are suitably filled. This may, for instance, be brought about by applying a lacquer to the surface of the pieces of eggshell, by a brush, by pouring it thereover, or by spraying. The filling material which thus has been applied to the spaces between the pieces of eggshell or to the whole surface, is allowed to settle and. dry, so much of the filler or lacquer having been applied to the surface that the spaces between the pieces of eggshell are substantially filled thereby.

A covering having thus been provided upon the surface 4, said covering is suitably finished. A preferred, simple manner of finishing the surface of the covering is to submit it to a bufiing operation by which the filling material or lacquer covering the convex surface of the pieces of eggshell is removed and a luster is given to said pieces. The pieces of eggshell are distinctly set off by the binding material therebetween and they convexly protrude therefrom.

Diiferent shades of eggshell may be used for the different fragments 10 and 11, which are ultimately broken up into the pieces 6 and 7 respectively. All eggshell may be tinted before or after it has been been mounted on the surface, as taste or fashion may dictate.

While I have shown and described my invention with some degree of particularity, it will be realized that other modifications and changes may be resorted to under special conditions. I therefore do not wish to be limited and restricted to the exact details shown and described but reserve the right to make such changes and modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the subject matter now being claimed.

Having shown and described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. The method of providing an eggshell covering on a surface, comprising placing fragments of eggshell upon said surface, breaking said fragments into pieces, positioning said pieces on said surface substantially in the position in which said fragments had been placed thereupon, and connecting said pieces of eggshell by a filler placed therebetween onto said surface.

2. The method of providing an eggshell covering on a surface, comprising placing fragments of eggshell upon a film of binding material extended over said surface, breaking said fragments into pieces upon and engaged by said binding film, and connecting said fragments of eggshell by a filler placed therebetween onto said'surface.

3. The method of providing an eggshell covering on a surface, comprising placing fragments of eggshell upon said surface, breaking said fragments into pieces, positioning said pieces on said surface substantially in the position in which said fragments had been placed thereupon, embedding said pieces of eggshell in a filler, and baring by a buning operation the surface of said pieces after said binding material has settled.

4. An eggshell covering on a surface comprising pieces into which a fragment of eggshell has been broken, the arrangement of said pieces on said surface in respect to each other corresponding substantially to their alignment when the fragment is broken.

RALPH FEO. 

